Completely by accident I stumbled upon the perfect crocheted gift to give my girlfriends, sisters, mom and MIL, and other women on my gift-giving list. I was bored with all the usual yarns and projects that I’d been using for years and wanted to try something new. After 30 or so years of crocheting, a person gets an itch for something different, ya know?

On a whim, I walked through the aisles of Hobby Lobby looking for some kind of yarn or thread I hadn’t crocheted with before. I stumbled across some Omega La Espiga Size 18, a spool of nylon cord that came in a handful of bright, fun colors. I had no idea what I’d do with it, but I was feeling adventurous! I grabbed a roll and took it home.

After some experimentation, I realized the cord was pretty stiff and when crocheted, had a lot of body and structure to it. “Maybe this would make into a good handbag,” I decided. I began playing with patterns and stitches and came up with a textured diamond stitch that I really liked. I finished the little clutch bag and sewed a lining a zipper into it (thanks Mom for teaching me to sew!) I put some makeup in it and tucked it into my larger purse and went about my business.

A few days later, I was out with friends. I needed something from my clutch, so I pulled it out and began fishing through it. My friends gasped and said, “That is so pretty! Where did you get that?” I told them I made it and that started a frenzy of requests. Everyone at the table wanted one. I smiled and told them if they could patiently wait until Christmas or their birthday, maybe someone would make them one. <wink>

That year, all the ladies in my life got a little purse as a gift. The next year, almost all of them called to tell me they loved their purses. They were pretty and practical, and they used them every day. Most of them then proceeded to ask if I would make them five or six purses so they could give them to their friends and family too. I began crocheting in earnest to fill orders. The requests kept rolling in and soon I had my own small business, purely by accident. I couldn’t keep up with the orders, so I wrote up the pattern and encouraged anyone who could crochet their own to try their hand at the making a crocheted purse.

I now sell the purses at craft shows and online and they always do well. I also have more than 15 purse patterns for DIYers who want to try it themselves. People love them because they are so useful and durable, and let’s be honest here … they’re just super pretty too! If you’re looking for the perfect handmade gift to give away this year, look no further. Try one of these patterns!

Available for sale here or on Craftsy, Etsy, and Amazon Kindle too! Click on a picture for more info about that pattern.

20 yummy colors of cord to make my purses with this year. I have seen some of these before but several of the colors are new, or new to me. So pretty! Crocheting with wonderful colors like these is half the joy of creating for me. If you have to spend hours staring at something, you want it to be pretty right? 🙂

I can’t wait to crochet with blue-violet, dark magenta, and the new lilac! It should keep me busy during these cold months of winter. I will post some pics when I have some purses made.

Anyhow, I think these colors will make lovely purses for my spring show, which is coming up soon! More info on that soon!

Get this pattern free!

Easy to make! Fun to use! Perfect to give away as gifts! Those are my criteria for a good crochet project. I crochet for myself, the things I want to wear and use and enjoy in my life. And I have crocheted a LOT of stuff in my lifetime.

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